Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-11-25

ton Monitor stands by the old party though
the heavens fall Moreover, these papers.
and the state press generally, are standing
by Vermont At this time when the state
stands most in need Of staunch friends.
| The state committee are making a grave
mistake aud will realize it before the cam
paign of 'SS is over
We do not agree entirely with the atti-
tude and expression Of the Caledonian, so
far as its comments on the animus Of the
state committee in this matter are concern
ed We give the committee credit for en-
tirely good intentions in this matter but
we believe that they have erred seriously
in judgment and overstepped their prerog
alive in the oflicious action which they have
taken We have freely and repeatedly told
the chairman So in correspondence with him
on the subject We do not think it n legit-
innate use of the funds entrusted to the
committee to apply them to the introduc-
ton Of outside papers. Their action is a
suggestion that our Vermont voters require
instruction from outside, and it is a reflec-
ton on the Republican press Of Vermont in
that it assumes that our party papers are
not giving their readers proper and suhi-
cient political instruction
But further than this and more impor-
tant than this the scheme is one which is
opposed to the true interests Of the Yer
mont press, although it Processes to be- and
was undoubtedly intended to be, otherwise.
The plain, indisputable fact is that every
Republican paper printed in Vermont to-
day, which gives the local news of its sec
ton and discusses intelligently state and
political affairs as they arise, is worth every
penny asked for it. Ii costs more than %
per cent more to produce The Vermont
Phoenix today than it did in 1880, and yet
it is sold for s. per cent less and no man
in whatever position has a right to assume
that we can discount 16s per cent on the
price Of the paper for whatever purpose
1t cannot be sold for one cent less than its
advertised price if it is to yield its owners
a living to say nothing of giving them a
chance to save dollar against a time of
need.
The real point at issue is that neither the
Republican state committee the Republican
party, nor the people of Vermont as a whole,
can afford to have anything done which in
terferes with the local papers of the state
and their prosperity. The outside papers
may be larger and may contain more gene
raj news of Indifferent interest to country
readers but the country papers are as es-
sential to the life and prosperity and we'll
being of the state as are the schools and
the churches.
We know it will be said that this scheme
was not intended to hurt the local papers,
hut to help them, and that many such pa
pers jumped at the chance to make the low
combination rate. For answer we say that
those publishers who have gone into the
scheme have made IA mistake. No good
business man can afford to make an offer
this year that he cannot duplicate next
year, Next year there will be no political
campaign pending, and no reduction be
You'd a possible ten per cent will be offered
on the outside papers. Subscribers who
take the papers at the reduced rate this
year will ask for it next year, and when
refused they will be disappointed, if not in
dignant, and the publisher will feel like
kicking himself for fool We long ago
found that it does not pay to go into the
chrome business. whatever form the chro-
mo may take. For several years we have
| offered an advantageous club rate with a
paper of admirable scope in agricultural
matters and staunchly Republican in its
politics, but we have never made a cent
on this or any other club paper, but have
| furnished it at exactly its cost to us. We
offered to take the state committees papers
on precisely the same basis, charging for
them exactly their cost to us, but making
no reduction in the price of The Phoenix
That offer is still open to the committee, but
has not yet been accepted.
Probably the committee, when they went
into the newspaper business, did not reflect
| upon the fact that by their scheme they are
simply trying to put outside Republican pa
pers into the hands of voters who are al
ready Republicans and take local Repub-
lican paper, If they had tried to put the
outside papers into the hands of men who
are not Republicans, or who do not see Re
publican papers, the case would be very
different What the committee will find in
the end will he, that, while they have dis
tributed few foreign Republican weeklies,
they will have to put just as much money
as ever into campaign literature for free
distribution.
We have gone into this matter somewhat
in detail, because there are certain estab-
|
successful newspaper work, and because
these principles, although too often ignored
by publishers, ought to be understood by
them and also 10y the public. To us, so far
as Vermont papers have entered into this
scheme, it only furnishes one more instance
of country publishers weakly yielding to
outside pressure, instead of standing on their
own feet and claiming, man fashion, the
rights that belong to them.
On our own part, we have no jealousy of
the outside papers. We appreciate their
value, and are always ready to help our
readers to them on any basis that is sound
and business-like. More and more every
year we come to know that every news
paper, The Phoenix included, must stand OF
fall on its own merits and on the judgment
of the public as to whether it fulfils its mis-
sion in the field which it occupies.
We do not take the position here stated
because we feel Strongly intrenched" OF
independent. On the contrary, we want
and solicit every dollar of good business
that we can get But we have no secrets
to keep from our subscribers, and so we
have no hesitation in telling them that we
DO not seek to make seeming temporary
gain 10y offering them something this year
that we cannot duplicate next year, nor the
year after, nor the year after that. We
believe their own sense of what is right, and
business-like, and manly, will prompt them
to approve and uphold our action in the
case under discussion.
Education for the Farmers.
1t seems to us that the scheme of Prof